The Web That's Woven
by MysteriousStranger21
Summary: Sly is doing his regular thieving activities, when he starts to feel something for the ambitious Inspector. Through trials and tribulations, will these two come together? Or will the villain of this sweet tale cause the two to fall apart? Rated M for later lemons, language etc.
1. Paris Lights and Thieving Slights

The Web That's Woven

Authors Note: This story was sort of an inspiration from reading another story not too long ago when I was reading some stories in the Sly Cooper section. I want to thank those who helped me, and for those of you who read this story. Thank you very much. See you on the next chapter. None of the characters belong to me.

Ch. 1

 **February 1st, 2000**

The time is 3:30 in the morning. The location is Paris, France. The twinkling of the Paris lights illuminates the early morning. Most people at this time are either asleep still or slowly waking up for another day at their jobs or school. All except…for one specific person. A blur zooms past the tops of rooftops, running across the tops of rooftops with grace and skill. The figure jumps spins and lands on a flagpole. Whats left of the night lights shows said figure on top of the flag pole. A skinny athletic male raccoon was seen perched on the flagpole. He was wearing a blue hoodie, black jeans and some blue converse shoes. He had his cane in his hand held loosely as if this was a simple thing for him. And his name, is Sly Cooper. Sly heard his communicator beep as he held his earpiece as he listened. "Give me a sit rep Bentley. What's the situation with the police station? Any cops there now?" He scanned the police station and its possible entrances. The response of his friend buzzed in his ear.

"Well Sly, the police station is empty on the top floors. The only motion I am getting is a janitor on the bottom floor. The file of that corrupt cop is on the third floor, in the last door on the right side." Bentley tapped the keys on his wheelchairs computer as he scanned the other floors. "I'm not getting other readings except some standard cameras, along with a laser trip alarm on the second floor, criss crossing the whole floor." Sly made a note of this as he considered his entry. He breathed in as he started to process his entry, completion of the job, and extraction. He sighed as he adjusted his beanie on his head. It was a cold night, evident of the whisp that exhaled from his mouth as he breathed. He leaped off of the flagpole to the next building, running to the nearest window of the police station. "Alright Bentley, I found an open window. Guess someone was looking for a smoke break. I still smell the cigarette smoke." Sly gracefully slipped into the place, crouching down and checking the floor. "So far so good." He creeped down the hall to the last door, finding said officers office. He pressed an ear to the door, listening. "Silent. Bentley, I'm heading inside. Let me know where to find the file."

"Ok Sly. And please be careful. Lets hope you don't have a repeat of the last time you broke into a police station." Sly chuckled as he remembered when he had broken into this very police station those years ago. He pulled out two lock picks and began to pick the door open. A simple two tumbler lock. He heard the sweet click of an opening lock and let himself in. "Don't mind me officer. Just passing through," he whispered to himself. He looked around saw that it was just a simple office, with a file drawer, a small painting on the wall, plus some windows at the back. He snuck around the room, checking the various places that the file could be held.

The file itself was filled with incriminating evidence that showed said officer was involved with some street gangs, giving reprieves to gang members, drugs in stings going missing, guns going missing from the evidence locker. This would sink the guys career into the toilet. Normally, Sly wouldn't be doing this sort of job, but he was always willing to expose liars to people who trusted them in the first place. He was the "robin hood" of thieves, as it were. Stealing from others and giving to people who deserved it, or storing it neatly away in his own little hoard he had stashed in multiple banks under different names, the money scrubbed through different fronts until it came out the other side as clean money. His communicator buzzed again.

"Check under the desk for a hidden button or something. Or even by the painting. I'm still getting no readings from the station, so take your time. I'll alert you if something comes up."

Sly scanned around for a way to find the file, when his foot scraped against something loose. "Hello…what do we have here?" He checked that loose floorboard and looked under it. "Ah…a secret switch." He turned it and saw the painting slide to the side, to reveal a small hidden area. "Really? Another painting safe? You'd think people wouldn't be so cliche." He chuckled as he moved over and pressed his ear to the safe. He smiled as he turned the knob, chuckling as he heard the clicks. He then felt the the lock click into its final place before gently opening the safe with a pop.

"And pop goes the weasel." He checked and found a thick file in there, stamped "Confidential". He slipped it into his pack he was carrying and also the two stacks of hundreds. "Hmm…got some cuban cigars in here too? You naughty thing you." He slipped them into his pack as well and placed his calling card inside the safe. He snapped the safe shut quietly, turning the switch under the loose board and putting the painting back over the safe. He grins as he says, "Bentley, I got the goods. I'm heading out the same window."

Bentley typed away on the computer as he said, "Well Sly, that won't work. The window is closed and locked now. The janitor must have come up to check the floor. There is a ladder leading to the roof out of that officers window. Climb out and get out of there. I'm picking up Carmelita on my sensors, and she is heading your way. By the way, what was in there besides the file?" Sly chuckled as he said, "A few things. Couple stacks of hundreds and some cubans." Bentley smiled as he said, "Excellent. I have someone eager to buy some of those cigars already lined up. Payday is early this time."

Sly quickly slipped out the window, shutting it and climbing up the ladder. He chuckled as he said, "Officer, you have been relived of duty, as of now." He started to run towards the next building, before he heard a "Zap!" He ducked as a shot flew over his head, singeing his beanie. He stood and pivoted to the shot, propping himself on his cane. "I see the great inspector is here to try again." He chuckled as he saw the one thing he always loved to see after a heist. Miss Carmelita Montoya Fox, a great inspector and one hell of a woman, in his opinion.

"Ringtail…didn't know you would come back here after all those years. What, stealing from my safe wasn't enough?" She had her shock pistol trained on the raccoon. She was dressed in some winter gear. Boots, a yellow jacket with a red sweater underneath, and her jeans that, from Slys perspective, hugged her hips just right. Sly smiled as he continued to rest on his cane. "Oh nothing like that Miss Fox. Just…doing some house cleaning." He moved closer to her as he said, "Why? Didn't know one of your officers was dirty?" She blinked and frowned, her pistol still trained on the ringtail. "You're lying. What did you steal this time? Money? Jewels? Answer." Sly rolled his eyes and said, "Look, Carmelita, if you want me to prove it too you, put that thing down. I'll show you…ok?" He pulled his pack around and pulled out the file. "In here is a list of the officers contacts in the local street gang, weapons that are missing in the lock up, drugs that have gone missing, everything he has signed off on. And if you want to know if I stole money, yes, I did. But from him. I'm putting it in a place I know it will help people." She yanked the file from him and went through it. "This is Bakers file…that fucking snake!"(He isn't a snake. He's a lion.) She swore in Spanish as she thrust the file back at Sly. "Why did you steal it then? This won't be admissible in court!" Sly chuckled as he said, "Well…that is true. But the money that will come from this is good. We are going to hold this hostage for a few days. Bleed money out of this fucker like a faucet. Then we give it back to him, but not before making a copy and distributing it to all the magazines and news papers in France. He won't last a day." Carmelita looked down at her feet, her ears twitching a little before saying, "Look ringtail…you know I still have a job to do."

Sly smiles as he says, "Yes, Miss Fox, I know. And that is why, I must bid you goodbye." He slammed his cane on the rooftop, releasing a hidden smoke pellet and disappearing. Carmelita coughed hard as she said, "DAMNIT COOPER!" She looked around for him and could not find him. She grumbled as she said, "Berkley is going to have a field day with me when he finds out Bakers been robbed by Sly."

 **Meanwhile…**

Sly was already a block away, running to the safe house that he and his friends holed up in. He opens up the door and closes it. "I'm back guys!" Bentley wheeled himself in and said, "Excellent work Sly. I'll send this guy an email tomorrow, and ask for the 100,000. He has over a million dollars stored in various banks. He will definitely put up the money for this. Give me the file and I will begin copying this so that we can distribute it later." Sly handed the file over and said, "I still have those cubans. You want one?" Bentley chuckled as he said, "Not for me thanks. I'll get to work. Go see Murray, he might want one." Sly checked their living room and found Murray watching some late night TV.

"Hey Murray. How was the wrestling?" Murray smiled as he said, "Awesome! I got to see Stone Cold Steve Austin do the Stone Cold Stunner on a few guys. He's my favorite! Wish I could meet him one day." Sly pulled the cuban cigars from his pack and said, "Want one? Pulled these from the safe." The hippo shook his head and said, "No thanks. The Murray needs to be in perfect condition for driving and fighting!" He chuckled as he went back to watching the cheesy comedy on TV.

Sly set the box of cuban cigars by Bentleys workstation and grabbed a cigar, walking to his room. He sniffed it and sat back on his bed. He lit it, puffing on the cigar.

"Mmm…good taste Mr. Baker. I thank you for your contribution." He laughed as he slowly puffed on the cigar, enjoying an early morning smoke as he saw the peaks of the sun slowly poke up over the horizon. He grinned as he said, "Hope Miss Fox isn't too upset about our little goodbye." He puffed on the cigar a few more times before dabbing it out. He placed his cane by his bed, along with his pack before laying down for some sleep. "Just another day as a master thief." He slipped off to sleep, listening to the sounds of a waking day.

 **In Slys dreams…**

He stood on a rooftop, watching the early morning sunrise. He smiles as he pulls a figure close to him, nuzzling the figure. He heard the person say, "Its beautiful…" He turned and saw the figure. It was Carmelita. He grinned as he said, "Much like you." He started to lean closer to the female as the sun was now up, ready to kiss her. As he got closer, he started to hear "Sly! Wake up!"

 **Back in Slys Room**

He woke up with a start, blinking as he looked at the clock. It was almost 12 in the afternoon now. "Man…I must have really knocked out…" He held his head. What was that dream? He was with Carmelita…was his dream telling him what he felt? Sure, he always played around with her, tricking her, playing with her…but he never thought of…being with her. His lifestyle and hers would never mix…He stood up out of the bed and grabbed the cigar from the table. He rolled it in his fingers before he relit it and said, "Don't know what that was about…maybe I'll just ignore it, for now. But that felt so real." The voice who called him, Bentley, said, "Hey Sly! I got the stuff copied. When do you want to let him know?" Sly chuckled as he gave a drag off the cigar again before saying, " Tomorrow. Let him sweat it out." He walked to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. This was going to be a long day.


	2. Time Off, A New Heist, and Foreshadowing

Chapter 2

 **A/N: Characters are not mine, except for Pops. Also, if you want to suggest songs for Sly to listen to, let me know.**

 **Same Day(Wednesday) at around 2:00**

Carmelita was fuming as she sat at her desk at the precinct. Barker was in a tizzy, finding his safe had been broken into by Cooper really set him off, and caused him to go and complain to the chief. The chief, ironically, went straight to Carmelita and started to chew her out after finding out about the situation. After her severe dressing down from the chief, she was seriously pissed off. She had her head down as she worked on the other cases on her desk. She found one that was very interesting to her. Apparently, the Contessa, her so called mentor turned evil-doer, was soon to be released on parole. She didn't give it any mind at the moment, but made a note of it for later. She sighed as she drowned out the sound of the ringing phones, chattering voices, and computer keyboards being typed on. She thought back to her meeting with Cooper. She smiled a little as she tried to clear her mind. He seemed to be honest, at least. She felt like he was at least trying to do something good, but her job made her look at him as a thief. She thought of him as a thief, and always would. But something itched at the back of her mind that made her question if he was really that bad in what he was doing. She didn't know why, but there was always that feeling that chasing him was eventually going to run her ruined. The stress that the chief was putting on her, plus all the other cases she was handling was really getting to her. Maybe she needed a break? To go and clear her head, to just decompress and enjoy some off time. She pulled out her phone and started to dial her mother. Her mother lived all the way in California, so this was going to be a little expensive call.

"Hello," an older voice said on the other end. Carmelita smiled.

"Hello Mami. It's me." The woman laughed and said, "Hello hija. How is France this time of the year?" The inspector fox smiled and said, "It's lovely Mami. Listen, I need a break from this police work for a few weeks. Would it be alright if I could come over for a visit and see you all again?" The older woman smiled on the other end of the phone and said, "Of course mi la hija. Your Papi and I will love to see you again. Plus, your sister and brother need you here to straighten them out. But don't tell them I told you." She gave a small laugh as she asked, "When are you planning on coming?" Carmelita thought for a minute and said, "Ohh…in a few days." The older woman smiled as she said, "Ok hija, stay safe until then. I love you." Carmelita grinned as she said, "Love you too Mami." She sighed as she turned the phone off and stood to go speak about going on vacation for a bit to relieve some stress.

 **Meanwhile, at the Safehouse**

Sly was leaning back in his bed again, day dreaming about the dream he had the night before. He was slightly worried about it. Was it foreshadowing of his future, or was it just his sub-conscious telling him about his interaction with the inspector. He shrugged to himself as he stood and went to go take a quick shower. After washing, he changed into some fresh clothes. A yellow t-shirt, zip up blue hoodie, pair of blue jeans and his favorite pair of converse. He walked into the living room and said, "So…now that we got that done, what do we do now?"

Bentley was busy typing away on his computer. "Well…I have a lead in central California. Apparently, they have some really old party mask from the 18th century on display over there. It's worth a fortune, and I think we could make quite a bit of thiefnet." Sly smiled as he said, "Good work Bentley, looks like we have our new mark. Any history on the mask?"

Bentley smiles as he said, "I do my research. This mask has been stolen from them before, by multiple thief groups, but it has always been returned. The mask itself was stolen from a great family in the UK, and has now been found in a museum. So, we would be doing something good if we were to steal it. We can find a buyer that has a connection to the family and get it back to them, while still making a chunk of change."

Sly smiles and chuckles as he says, "Excellent work Bentley. Hey Murray, how does California sound?" He popped his head into the living room and said, "Oh boy! Going to Cali huh? That's where we first met Sly! In the orphanage together. Aren't you a little bit worried about going back? I mean…your parents did die there…"

Sly looked down at his feet before he said, "Yeah, I know Murray. I made my peace with them a long time ago. But, still, it will be nice to head back home. Get a taste of Cali weather and hey, maybe pick up some new music along the way." Murray nodded as he said, "Awesome! I'll make sure the coolant in the van is good before we head there. Cali weather sucks when it gets hot!" Sly chuckled as he said, "Alright, well it is settled then. Cali is where we are headed." He walked out of the safe house and climbed up to the roof. He grabbed his CD player from his zip up and started to listen to music. He smiles as a good song starts playing.

 _Straight outta Compton, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube_

 _From the gang called Niggaz With Attitudes_

 _When I'm called off, I got a sawed off_

 _Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off_

 _You too, boy, if ya fuck with me_

 _The police are gonna hafta come and get me_

 _Off yo ass, that's how I'm goin out_

 _For the punk motherfuckers that's showin out_

 _Niggaz start to mumble, they wanna rumble_

 _Mix em and cook em in a pot like gumbo_

 _Goin off on a motherfucker like that_

 _with a gat that's pointed at yo ass…_

He grinned as he bobbed his head to the music, enjoying the beat and listening to the music that he remembered growing up. His mind flashed back to as he was growing up on the streets in Cali. He had met Bentley and Murray in the orphanage, yes, but they had ended up splitting ways for a short time, about two or three years or so. In that time, Sly stole what he could to survive. It pained him to do it, but he had to. He really hated stealing from honest businesses, and was worried his dad would have been upset at him. In all that time, he made a few more friends around California until he ended up back with his two good friends he had met at the orphanage. He sighed as he continued to listen to one of his childhood favorites. He started off across the tops of the roofs, heading to nowhere in particular. He could remember one specific time…when he met the one person he would always consider a second father, even after his had passed…

 **Eight Years Ago…(Sly is 13 at this time)**

The sound of gunshots echoed through the cold streets of the neighborhood as Sly walked down the sidewalk. He had managed to steal some food for the night, his sleeping quarters were an old house that had been abandoned. He bumped into someone he hadn't seen, falling onto the sidewalk. His cane clattered to the sidewalk as he looked up at the person. He was a tall male Panda, tattoos and scars on his body showing a history Sly hoped he would never follow. The big Panda smiled down at the small racoon before saying, "Hey little man. Whats up? You headed home?" Sly looked down as he stood up, grabbing his cane, the Thevius Raccoons in his backpack.

"Uh…I don't have a home sir…I'm…homeless." The panda grunted as he said, "Ah…parents got killed then? Or did you run away from home?" The small boy shook his head. "My parents got killed by some nasty people…" The larger panda stooped down to the small male and said, "What's your name son?" The small raccoon stuttered as he said, "S-sly sir. Sly C-cooper." The panda chuckled as he said, "How about you come stay at my place for the evening little man? I can hook you up with a place to stay while I find you a permanent place. If I can't well…you can stay with me if you need to. I got a big enough house for ya." The raccoon boy smiled as he said, "Thank you sir!" The panda chuckled as he said, "Call me Pops kid."

 **Present Day…**

Sly smiled as he continued to run. Pops was a good man, though he was in a gang, the man had a heart of gold you wouldn't believe. He took Sly in until he got with his friends again, and he always sent a bit of money to him. Sly sighed as he grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed the old mans number. The phone rang before the gruff voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Pops. Its the little man." He heard a loud laugh as he said, "Sly Cooper, as I live and breath. How you doing little man? You been making that paper over in France?" Sly chuckled as he said, "Yeah Pops, I have been. Why, you tight for cash?" The panda chuckled as he said, "Nah little man, just making sure you are ok. Me and the missus over here are doing just fine. Why you call little man?"

Sly chuckled as he said, "I'm gonna being coming back to Cali pretty soon for a little vacation." The panda laughed as he said, "Well shit, that'll be all right. Hey, when we get together I'll take you through Compton like we used to do, alright little man?"

Sly smirked as he said, "Still doing the gangster shit huh Pops?" The man chuckled as he said, "You know it little man. It's my life. Anyways, you get your shit together over there and I'll see you around. When you planning on coming down?" Sly thought for a minute before saying, "In about 3 or 4 days from now." The panda nodded on the other end and said, "Alright little man, you stay safe until then, alright homie? I'll get a little welcoming committee together for you and your homies, a'ight?" Sly chuckled as he said, "Alright Pops. Take care big guy." He hung up as he changed the song on his mix CD.

 _Mmm_

 _Now let's get down to business, bitches_

 _Cause it seems like y'all just keep on tryin to diss this_

 _Nigga that you know that's been down for years_

 _I've clowned for years, and y'all could never fade my peers_

 _One two three four five six seven_

 _Nine, ten, Eiht you can't win_

 _Cause all the way around nigga I gets respect_

 _and youse a nigga that can't even get no props in your set_

 _Tragniew Park you say huh_

 _Wanna be rippin, but now it's time to do some set trippin_

 _So listen close, cause I don't want y'all to miss_

 _That I'm bout to break it down for this bitch, check it_

 _Acacia, Poplar Maple Spruce Cedar Elm_

 _Westside trees sprayin all the fleas_

 _that's from the three and four hundred block P-Funk riders_

 _(So niggaz watch yo' ass at that center divider) [gun blast]_

He bobbed his head to the beat of the music. He always loved this dis track. He ran back to the safe house after finishing up his quick run. Pops was getting some stuff together for his arrival. This was going to be so amazing to go back to Cali and see him, plus the heist was going to be pretty neat as well. He wondered if he could pull off a few side robberies to help give to the people there. He adjusted the beanie on his head as he continued to run. He needed to start packing.

 **Meanwhile, at a prison in Prague…**

A slender yet shapely woman slowly stepped out of a prison entrance. She held onto a suitcase as she walked down the driveway of the prison. She slowly got into the waiting car that was waiting at the prison entrance. "Miss Contessa…where do you wish to go," the driver asked, looking back at the female. A woman with long black hair, blood red eyes and a shapely body in a business and business pants said, "Take me to my other home in Germany. The one in Berlin. It is time I start my business proceedings again." The male wolf, who was the driver, nodded as he began to drive. The contessa frowned as she thought of who put her in that prison. "Cooper…you and your little group of do-gooders will pay…with your minds…or your lives." She reached over and grabbed a glass and poured herself a glass of cognac. She sipped it gingerly as she said, "And her…she will pay as well…Carmelita." She checked her PDA that was confiscated when she went to prison and looked for numbers. She used the cars phone(the car is like a limo) and dialed the number. "John Bison…I'm out. Start up your operation again. It is time…that we get people to start liking us again." She hung up as she began to sip on her drink again. "Oh yes…they will all pay for what they did." She smiled evilly as the driver began their journey to Germany.

 **Author Note: Ok boys and girls, this is getting exciting isn't it? What are the chances that Sly and Carmelita end up going to the same place huh? And what about the Contessa? What will happen with her? Tune into the next chapter to find out. Songs used were "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A. and "Dollaz and Sense" by Dj Quick. Leave a review and comment and let me know if I need to change some stuff! See you on the next page turn!**


	3. California Love and Magic Tricks

**A/N: Pops is my character along with his friends. Other characters do not belong to me**

Sly leaned back in his chair, sipping on a glass of brandy. Just because he was in a small house, didn't mean he didn't like to enjoy the finer things in life. He hummed as he rubbed his finger along the rim. His mind was wandering again. Today was the day they headed to California. He was going to see Pops again! And his old hometown. He chuckled to himself.

"Man…how many years has it been? Hope Pops is doing ok. I swear, him and his stupid gang stuff worries me sometimes."

During the few days that passed, Sly and his gang had successfully managed to extort the cop for his money, and release the incriminating documents to the public that very same day. The public had a field day with this guy, and multiple arrests were made as a result of this information being released. Sly bounced his foot as he continued to muse. He thought back to Carmelita in his dream, and had come to an understanding with himself. He did have feelings for the foxy inspector. Not in a sexual way, mind you, but in a way that made him go, "Could I spend my life with her?" He knew that if, and when they did end up together, then maybe they could go that far…but it seemed a long way away. He sipped at his drink again, idly scratching his ear that was poking out of his yellow beanie he was wearing. He then looked up at the clock and stood up. He gulped the last of his drink and set the glass down. He grabbed his suitcases and walked to the front door.

"Alright guys! Get your stuff and lets get going. That heist won't do itself, will it?"

Sly's friends hurried out of the place with their stuff, jumping in the van and heading to the airport. They had previously made arrangements to transport the van in another way, disgusting it along with themselves. Passports were forged and personas were created as Sly and his friends headed to Sly's own hometown. It was of course, L.A. It was a long trip, but in the end it was very worth it. After the long plane ride, the were now at LAX. Sly looked around for his adoptive father before he saw the tall panda male, looking older and with a few new scars. He waved his hand to the larger male, standing with a sign that read "Welcome home little man." Sly laughed as he ran up to his adoptive father, three of Pops friends there as well. He gave the big guy a hug, the large male returning the hug. The larger male was wearing sagging jeans, a white t-shirt and green Chuck Taylor shoes.

"Ahah! There's my little man! Welcome home! Hey, you look skinny as shit. You been eating lately?"

Just like Pops. Always worrying about him, when he should be worrying about himself.

"I'm fine Pops! God, its so great to see you again! And who are these guys?"

Pops chuckled as he pointed to each one of the men. One was a tiger, the other a bear, and the last was a panther.

"Big Devil, Tiny, and Jumps. These are the homies I ran with back in the day. Good friends, OG's you know?" Sly rolled his eyes. He was still talking and walking the gangster life. Now, Sly didn't mind his adoptive father being one. He just worried about him. He saw what bad gangs could do, but his adoptive father ran a sort of…clean gang. They were the gang that went around and mopped up the bad ones. The vigilantes of gangs, as they were. Pops chuckled as he slapped his hand on the smaller males back.

"Ah, but anyways, welcome back to Cali little man! We got a big party waiting for you back on the set. I pulled out all the stops."

Sly nodded as he said, "You remember Bentley and Murray right? The friends I told you about?" The big panda chuckled as he said, "Yeah…I remember these two. What happened to hm?" He pointed at Bentley in his wheelchair. He cleared his throat as he said "Uh…accident."

The panda shrugged as he said, "Alright little man, lets get you back to the set and get you settled in, a'ight? You going to be staying at our place our a hotel?" Sly smiled and said, "A hotel for now. But a party doesn't sound bad, lets go!"

The men whooped and hollored as they lead the trio out to a nice Chevy Impala waiting at the curb. Murray looked at Sly and said, "I'll go get the van and follow you guys with Bentley." Bentley smiled and waved as he wheeled his way to go with Murray. Sly threw his stuff into the trunk of the car and hopped into the car with his adoptive dad. Pops smiled as he said, "You remember my deal, right boy?"

Sly nodded as the big panda slipped in a CD into the car stereo system and turned up the volume.

"First stop, Compton Boulevard. A little tour around for the little man of the hour."

Sly laughed as the big Panda started to drive down that way. Sly smiled as he heard the lyrics to a song he remembers from his younger days.

 _Woke Up Quick, At About Noon_

 _Jus' Thought That I Had To Be In Compton Soon_

 _I Gotta Get Drunk Before The Day Begins_

 _Before My Mother Starts Bitchin About Ma Friends_

 _About To Go And Damn Near Went Blind_

 _Young Niggaz At The Path Throwin Up Gang Signs_

 _Ran In The House, And Grabbed Ma Clip_

 _Wit The Mack 10 On The Side Of Ma Hip_

 _Bailed Outside And Pointed Ma Weapon_

 _Just As I Thought The Fools Kept Steppin_

 _Jumped In The Fo' Hit The Juice On Ma Ride_

 _I Got Front Back, And Side To Side_

 _Then I Let The Alpine Play (Play)_

 _Pumpin New Shit By Nwa_

Sly bobbed his head to the beat, enjoying the sound of one of his other favorite songs from when he was younger. They turned down onto Compton, rolling down the street slow, enjoying the music as the second part of the song came on.

 _It Was Gangsta Gangsta At The Top Of The List_

 _Then I Played My Own Shit And It Went Somethin' Like This_

 _Cruisin Down The Street In My Six-Fo''_

 _Jockin The Bitches, Slappin The Hoes_

 _Went To The Park To Get The Scoop_

 _Knuckleheads Out There Cold, Shootin Some Hoops_

 _A Car Pulls Up, Who Can It Be_

 _A Fresh El Camino Rollin Kilo G_

 _He Rolled Down His Window And He Started To Say_

 _Its All About Makin That G.T.A._

Sly jolted a little when he felt the impala start to use hydraulics as they cruised down the street, showing off to the people on the street. The three friends in the back threw up gang signs to their friends on the street, laughing, pointing, whooping and hollering. Sly was laughing the whole time. He was back in his home…and what made it better was that he was just enjoying a cruise with Pops.

 **A few hours later…**

It was around 4 when the party got started on the street. Sly and his two friends were greeted with the sounds of 2pac's "California Love" when they got to the street. Sly enjoyed himself at the party, introducing his friends to some of the people he remembered from back when he was younger. Bentley and Murray excused themselves to head to the hotel when Bentley turned to Sly.

"What are you going to do? Enjoy the party for the whole night?"

Sly shook his head and said, "No…not really…I'm gonna spend an hour or two here and then head out onto the streets to do a little street magic. Hey…my dad did it, that's how he got my mom." Sly chuckled at the memory of his dad, telling him how he caught his mothers eye through doing a little Cooper magic for her. Sly checked his suitcase and found a deck of cards and a few other things to make the magic good. He then changed into a disguise. Mostly street clothes consisting of a blue jersey, black jeans, and black boots. He had on a pair of sunglasses too, though the sun wouldn't last long if he was out. He waved bye to Pops, the panda replying with a "Stay safe little man. See you back when you can!" The party was still going strong as he left to go freak out some people with his cool Cooper street magic.

 **Meanwhile…**

Carmelita was walking the streets for the night. She had gotten off the plane a few hours ago and was just enjoying the time she had before heading back to her parents house for the night. She had been told by Berkley to be a part of the security detail for a local museum while she was on her so called "vacation". Damn Berkley, always slipping in something at the very end. Now, she knew the place was a low maintenance museum that had problems with thieves trying to get in before, but with her around, it should be ok. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt that showed off her bright fur with a pair of hip hugging black jeans and a pair of black and red Nike shoes. She enjoyed just strolling around town, seeing what was going on. She had a backup shock pistol attached to her ankle, but it was smaller so it was easier to carry. She then heard what sounded like loud laughter from across the street, men and women gathering around someone in the center. She got curious and walked over, looking into the middle of the group. In the middle was a young raccoon, holding a deck of cards in his hand. A street magician huh? This she had to see. She got into the inner ring of people. Unknown to her, it was Sly that was doing the magic, and his disguise was working.

"Alright so I got these cards here…and I'm gonna show you a little trick. Now, as you know, Eazy E died awhile back. And some say…his ghost roams Compton and other places around here. So I need a volunteer to help me huh?" He scanned the crowd and blinked as he saw Carmelita. He smiled as he kept his cool, saying, "Say miss…you want to see if ghosts exist?" She looked at the male and crossed her arms.

"I don't believe in ghosts."  
Sly chuckled as he said, "Well, you will after this."

He brought her towards him and told her to pick a card. She chose the Jack of Hearts and hid it from view. Most of what Sly did was slight of hand, but made it look like it was the real deal. He smiled as he took the card from her and said, "Alright, now…I'm gonna show you there are no duplicates here." He showed her the deck and slipped the card into the deck and snapped his fingers. "Now…ask him where he is from, if you would."

She rolled her eyes as she said, "Hey Eazy-E, tell 'em where you're from."

Sly shook the deck to cause the card she chose to pop up at the top. On the card were the words that said, "Straight outta compton." The crowd cheered in disbelief as Carmelita herself was shocked. She took the card and looked at it.

"Wow…impressive…do something else for me."

Sly smiled as he showed her another trick. He took a quarter from the crowd and bit on it, showing teeth marks from him before he spit at it, the quarter repairing itself. Carmelita was stunned. She couldn't believe it! She laughed as she was enjoying this!

"How about something different…I want you to think…of a person that you care about…and think about them in your mind…" He held her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. He counted to himself, smiling as he saw her mouth move slightly in the words of her father's name. This was a simple trick that looked amazing.

"Next time you see Jose, tell him I said hello."

She almost collapsed, holding her hand to her mouth in astonishment, clapping afterwards at the trick.

"One last thing for the pretty lady…think of a person you want to talk to…to get to know them more, alright? Just think of them…write it down on this paper." He gave her a scrap of paper and a pen. She hesitated at first, but started to write down Sly's name, though just his first since she didn't want people to know it was Sly Cooper she was thinking of. Sly took the paper and asked for a match. He took the paper and lit it, slapping the paper against his chest. He lifted his shirt, causing her to blush slightly at how built the skinny raccoon was. On his chest was the word, "Sly". She was astounded at this point. She was very happy and clapped at the magic trick, the male raccoon turning to leave as he said, "Wait…one last thing." He took out five one dollar bills from his pocket and said, "Something else for the pretty lady." He showed her the bills and waved his hand over the money before snapping his fingers over them, turning them into five 100 dollar bills. The crowd whooped and hollered, some of the walking away in astonishment and just being creeped out.

Sly gave her the five one hundreds before saying, "These are for you…"

She was in complete shock at this point and could only ask, "Who are you? How could you do all this?"

He smiled. "That's the beauty of it…a magician never reveals his secrets…even when the audience already knows the answers to the secrets themselves."

He turned and walked away, giving her a little wink as he strode down the street, spinning a card in his hand. She was left there, holding the five one hundred dollar bills, her mind racing at what had just happened. Who was that guy? And…why did she feel like she knew him? She just turned on the spot and left, putting the money in her pocket, her mind still processing what happened.

 **A/N: So…interesting stuff huh? Hope you guys enjoyed this one. Sly keeps pulling those fast ones on her huh? Anyways, review and like the story if you want! Comment and let me know what you'd like to change or give me an idea! See you on the next page turn!**


	4. A Little Take and a Lot of Worry

Ch. 4

 **30 minutes after leaving the "magic show"…**

Sly had to get a drink to calm his nerves after accidentally bumping into the inspector. What in the hell was she doing here? Not that he minded, he was just shocked was all. He set his cane by a bar stool in a local downtown bar, sighing as he sipped his drink. He didn't usually drink at all, but he guessed it was just nerves. He looked around at the dark place he was in, dimly lit and the smell of old booze and cigarettes wafted in the air. Reminded him of his first time in a place like this. He was wearing some nicer clothes after a quick change at the safe house. He was in a blue polo shirt and black jeans with some black Timberland boots. He heard some sort of argument behind him. He checked and saw two men yelling at each other, both obviously drunk. He turned to see what was going on. Two men were yelling at each other in Italian, Sly only picking up on things here and there. He sighed as he finished his drink, replaced his cap on his head, which was his signature blue drivers cap, and left the building, pocketing one of the mens wallets in turn. He checked the I.D. Lucky him, it was a local italian mobster he had read about in the papers. What in the hell was someone from the mafia doing in California? He shrugged as he put the wallet into the hands of a police officer walking by.

"I found that on the ground. Make sure it gets back to the guy."

Now, to some, it would seem like Sly was just doing practice on a random guy. But no, he knew about the mafia around Paris, and in and around California as of late. Something about…setting up a new drug trafficker through the local gangs there. Sly was thinking about making a hit on these guys later, taking some money from some hideouts there. Sly usually never went after mafia type people, but he felt like he needed to put the squeeze on them. He sighed as he decided that it would be best to head back to the hotel that his friends were at. He hummed as he went back to thinking of Carmelita. He was a little worried about his reaction to her when he had saw her at the magic show he had put on for the people on the street. He usually did not react as bad for things like that, but he felt like this was more of a…internal reaction. Usually he was cool and calm and everything was fine, but this…this was a little worrying. He scratched his head as he made his way back to the hotel.

 **The Next Day (9:00)**

Sly was rolling out of bed in the hotel, sighing as he stood up. "God. I really need to stop eating before I go to bed." He hummed as he got dressed in a simple t-shirt and blue jeans with his Timberland boots. He checked to make sure Bentley was up in the other room before saying,

"Hey Bentley. I need you to do some research on a guy. His name is Frank Zolto. Check him out, would you? I think the mafia is in town."

Bentley raised his eyebrows. "The Mafia? Sly, you aren't seriously going to go on a robin hood are you?"

Sly chuckled as he heard his friend reference his thieving times when he would steal from random gangs. But this time, it was from the mafia.

"Can you just do this? I want to make some side money to help Pops out. I feel like he isn't making as much money as he says."

Bentley sighed as he said, "I'll pull some information. In the meantime, you need to go and case that museum for the mask. I left some money for the fee to get in on the counter in here. Stay safe please. Oh, and Murray is out. Said he wanted to go to the gym."

Sly nodded as he grabbed the money, which was about 10 bucks and walked from the hotel. He hummed as he walked, remembering that he left his cane in his room. "Ah, probably won't need it."

He then began to sing to himself as he walked down the street, a small simple song that his mother had sang to him. He only sang it when he was bored or when he was a little nervous. Casing a place was always a little un-nerving. He felt a bump against his side before he turned to see a female fox walk past him. He checked her as she walked by. He gasped a little bit. It was Carmelita again. She turned to face it.

"Hey, watch…it. Hey, you were the magician from the other day. I never got a chance to say thank you for the little show you put on."

Sly gulped a little as he said, "Well yeah, glad you liked it. Doing magic has always been a thing for me." He smiled at her, regaining his composure quickly before saying, "I was heading to the museum for a day of sightseeing."

She looked at him and asked, "Have I seen you from somewhere?"

Sly started to panic but kept his cool and said, "No, I don't think so. Say, why don't you come with me to the museum?"

Carmelita laughed and said, 'No thanks, I've seen enough of that place in a day to fill a lifetime. I'm guarding for some stupid show thats getting put on in a few days."

Sly's ears perked up as he heard the information. "Hmm, ah well. Hey, you have a good day. Stay safe at the job, huh?"

He waved goodbye and walked towards the museum again, sighing in relief as he walked. Carmelita shrugged her shoulders as she headed off. She still felt like she had met that raccoon from someplace before, but she didn't even know. She then turned around as she walked to the raccoon. "Hey! Actually, yes. I would like to go. God knows I'm bored out of my mind and maybe going with someone else wouldn't be so bad."

Sly flinched ever so slightly as he heard her. But he turned, with a smile on his face and said, "Sure, why not? I'm sure you and I would have some fun." He walked with her to the museum, walking inside as he knew that this would be a very interesting time.

 **After a while…**

Sly and Carmelita stepped out of the museum, happy to be out on Carmelita's part and happy to get a case of the place on Sly's part. She smiled as she said, "Well, it was nice with someone else."

Sly smiled at her as he said, "Yeah, that was pretty cool. So, what exactly were you sent to guard?" She rolled her eyes as she said, "That fancy looking mask in there. God, some people and their stupid costume get ups. I don't get why that thing is so important."

Sly just shrugged as he said, "Well, it was nice meeting you. I have to go on back to the hotel. I'm in town for a bit before heading back to London."

She smiled as she said, "What is your name? I never got it." Sly thought for a minute before saying, "I'm Martin. Martin O'Connor." She nodded as she said, "I am Carmelita Montoya Fox. Its nice to meet you Martin." He waved goodbye to her and said, "Maybe we will meet again." If she had picked up on what he had said, it would best sooner then she thought!

 **Same day at 3:00**

The day had passed rather boringly for Sly, and so he decided to do a little thieving. He had popped back to the hotel to get the info on the guy. Apparently he was a Capo for the local mafia in the area, and had a big connection to the local warehouses there. From what Bentley dug up, this place was where they stored their cash from the local drug sellers. Sly decided to hit them there. Now, he wouldn't normally hit these sorts of places in the afternoon, but Bentley had pulled up some photos that the local PD has snapped, showing that the place was heavily guarded on only a few sides, easy enough to get in, rob them blind, and out. Sly was going to dress as one of the guys who was part of the group, and pretend that the place was going to be hit soon. He would clean out the cash box there, take the money and store it someplace until he could split it with his group. And there he was, dressed to the nines in a blue suit and tie, carrying his cane like he owned the place. He had stolen the suit from some dead beat debt collector before leaving paris, and had it washed when he got there. After making sure everything was good, he drove up in a nice looking Lincoln, which again, he managed to steal from right under the noses of a local chop shop in the area.

He pulled up to the warehouse with a suitcase and stepped out, cane in hand. He walked to the door and said, "Hey, listen. We got word. One of the local families is trying to hit this place. I've been ordered to take the money to a local safe house to keep it safe until the heat cools off." One of the mobsters used a phone to call it in, and Bentley, using his hacking and voice changing software, made himself sound like the Don of the family, first chastising the male for disobeying an order that was given by one of his made men, which Bentley had to do some brushing up on mob lingo to fool them, and to shut up and let him do his job. The mobster was shaking as he said, "Yeah..go ahead. Grab the money. Jesus, I need a cigarette." Sly walked inside, grabbing the money from the safe after it was opened by one of the people in there. He then put the money in the suitcase, totaling almost 500,000 dollars, and walked out. He got in his car and drove it to an abandoned lot. He then, with no tim to spare, grabbed a bus that head to one of his old drop off locations for hot items he would take. He hid the money there, which was actually like a miniature vault that only opened with his eyes, a finger, and his voice. Call it paranoia, but Sly would always be ready for things.

He hid the money there and made his way back to his hotel. He hummed as he took the suit he had used and threw it into the incinerator in the hotel, sighing having to destroy such a nice suit. He made his way back to Bentley and said, "Ha, 500,000 dollars all total. We cleaned out their safe." Bentley chuckled as he said, "Just another day." Murray poked his head into the room and said, "Did I miss something here? What happened?" And all Sly did was smile, and tell him to short story of how he had robbed the mob of almost 500,000 dollars in total.

 **Later…**

A phone was slammed on its reciever as an older looking man was fuming, a cigarette in his hand. "How…the FUCK! Did you let some asshole walk into our warehouse…and steal almost the whole months take?!" The man pulled out his gun and shoved it in the mouth of the man standing in front of him. "You better start talking son." The male was crying as he said, "Look, he said he was a made man! We called you! You scared Jimmy half out of his mind!" The older man, a lion, stepped back as he said, "No…it wasn't me. What did I say?" The male gasped as he held his throat from almost dying. "You said that the guy was a made man, said that a family was about to hit our business and to take the money and hide it." The lion looked down as he said, "That mother fucking rat! I knew the Cabrone family would do this shit! They must have some computer genius involved…" The don paced around the room for a minute before he said, "Call Bison. Tell him what happened. Right now, I need a fucking drink. And you!" He pointed the gun and shot the man in the head. "You fucking degenerate. You let yourself get fucking fooled!" He sat in his chair and said, "God…this is one fucking day. Hope Bison isn't going to be too pissed…" The man sat there, smoking and drinking, as the blood from the man pooled on the floor, before the dead man was removed from the room, the older lion still sitting there angry and fuming. "This means fucking war…."


End file.
